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400-00-PLDC JUN 01 MODULE-1 PRIMARY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE THE NCO June 1, 2001 Preresident Training Support Package U.S. ARMY SERGEANTS MAJOR ACADEMY FORT BLISS, TEXAS 79918-8002 1
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Page 1: PRIMARY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE THE …tsg3.us/tnsg_lib/pldc_school/basic_nco/lesson_1.pdf · comrades in arms as the men and women you train with in the Primary Leadership

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MODULE-1PRIMARY LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSE

THE NCO

June 1, 2001Preresident Training Support Package

U.S. ARMY SERGEANTS MAJOR ACADEMYFORT BLISS, TEXAS 79918-8002

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Table of Contents

Module 1, The NCOSection Page

Module 1Lesson 1

Identify the Historical Progression and Significant Contributions ofthe Noncommissioned Officer Corps. (P205)

1-1-1

1-1 Lesson Overview 1-1-11-1-1 Introduction 1-1-31-1-2 Identify the Role of the NCO Existing in the Pre-Revolutionary

War period. 1-1-31-1-3 Identify the Role of the NCO During the Revolutionary War. 1-1-41-1-4 Identify the Role of the NCO During the War of 1812. 1-1-51-1-5 Identify the Role of the NCO During the Civil War. 1-1-61-1-6 Identify the Role of the NCO During World War I. 1-1-71-1-7 Identify the Role of the NCO During World War II. 1-1-81-1-8 Identify the Role of the NCO During the Korean Conflict. 1-1-81-1-9 Identify the Role of the NCO During the Vietnam Conflict. 1-1-91-1-10 Identify the Role of the NCO as it Exists Today. 1-1-111-1-11 Lesson Review 1-1-141-1-12 Check Your Learning 1-1-171-1-13 Answer Key and Feedback 1-1-19

Lesson 2 Duties, Responsibilities, and Authority of NCOs (L202) 1-2-11-2 Lesson Overview 1-2-11-2-1 Introduction 1-2-21-2-2 Identify the Difference Between Command Authority and General

Military Authority 1-2-21-2-3 Identify Specified and Implied Missions. 1-2-51-2-4 Identify the Difference Between Individual and Command

Responsibility 1-2-61-2-5 Identify Policy, Goal, and Objectives of the Noncommissioned

Officer Development Program (NCODP). 1-2-71-2-6 Lesson Review 1-2-121-2-7 Check Your Learning 1-2-131-2-8 Answer Key and Feedback 1-2-15

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Table of Contents, cont

Section Page

Lesson 3 Maintain Discipline (P206) 1-3-11-3 Lesson Overview 1-3-11-3-1 Introduction 1-3-21-3-2 Identify the Differences Between Discipline and Self-Discipline 1-3-21-3-3 Identify the Difference Between Non-Judicial Punishment and

Non-Punitive Measures 1-3-31-3-4 Determine Which Corrective Measures are Available that Best

Support Your Role in Maintaining Unit Discipline 1-3-41-3-5 Identify Legal Implications of the DoD Homosexual Policy 1-3-71-3-6 Lesson Review. 1-3-121-3-7 Check Your Learning 1-3-151-3-8 Answer Key and Feedback 1-3-17

Module 1—Check Your Learning 1-4-1

Module 1—Answer Key and Feedback 1-5-1

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1-1-1

Module 1Lesson 1

Identify the Historical Progression and Significant Contributions ofthe Noncommissioned Officer Corps. (P205)

1-1. Lesson Overview:

LessonPresentation

This lesson presents the historical progression and significant contributionsof the NCO Corps from the Pre-Revolutionary days to the present.

Topic Page

TLO: Identify the historical progression and significantcontributions of the noncommissioned officer corps.

NA

Introduction 1-1-3

ELO 1: Identify the role of the NCO existing in the Pre-Revolutionary War period.

1-1-3

ELO 2: Identify the role of the NCO during theRevolutionary War.

1-1-4

ELO 3: Identify the role of the NCO during the War of1812.

1-1-5

ELO 4: Identify the role of the NCO during the Civil War. 1-1-6

Lesson Content,TerminalLearningObjective,(TLO) and,EnablingLearningObjectives(ELOs)

ELO 5: Identify the role of the NCO during World War I. 1-1-7

ELO 6: Identify the role of the NCO during World War II. 1-1-8

ELO 7: Identify the role of the NCO during the KoreanConflict.

1-1-8

ELO 8: Identify the role of the NCO during the VietnamConflict.

1-1-9

ELO 9: Identify the role of the NCO, as it exists today. 1-1-11

Lesson Review 1-1-14

Check Your Learning 1-1-17

Answer Key and Feedback 1-1-19

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1-1-2

References The following table lists the references for this lesson.

Number Title DateFM 22-100 Army Leadership Aug 99Photos andImages

Center for Military History, The story ofthe noncommissioned officer corps.http://www.army.mil/cmh

2000

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1-1-1. Introduction

Purpose The historical evolution of the NCO is full of pride and tradition. It is yourresponsibility to know this history and to pass it on to future generations ofenlisted soldiers.

This lesson provides you with an understanding of the role and historicaldevelopment of the NCO.

NOTE: This preresident package provides material that you will not coverin the resident phase of training.

Introduction Although NCOs today receive better training and are more professional thanever, the achievements of your predecessors contributed much to your career.Get to know them. You will see that the NCOs of the past are as much yourcomrades in arms as the men and women you train with in the PrimaryLeadership Development Course (PLDC). You will become the NCO theArmy looks upon to train, test, judge, reward, and discipline soldiers oftoday, as well as in the future.

The historical evolution of the NCO is one full of pride and tradition. Theopening line of the NCO Creed, “No one is more professional than I," is notonly a promise and a pledge to yourself and the people of the United Statesof America, it is also a pledge to all those NCOs who came before you thattheir service and sacrifice was not in vain. Their commitment to the highideals of this country—our constitution and the defense of freedom andAmerica—is the history of the U. S. Army. You are following in thefootsteps of those great NCOs who prepared the way for you. You can honorthem by getting to know their history.

1-1-2. Identify the Role of the NCO Existing in the Pre-RevolutionaryWar Period

Lineage of theNCO

We can trace the lineage of the NCO back to the Roman Legions. In theRoman Legions, exceptional legionnaires commanded ten soldiers andassisted commanders of one hundred men. These legionnaires supervisedtraining and performed administrative and logistical support tasks. In theFrench army, senior NCO’s were "corporals" or "lance corporals."

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1-1-2. Identify the Role of the NCO Existing in the Pre-RevolutionaryWar Period, cont

Lineage of theNCO,continued

European noncommissioned officers were the enforcers of camp disciplineand the only authority figures in constant contact with the troops. Thesenoncommissioned officers merely brow beat the soldiers to stand fast in theline of battle, despite horrific casualties.

Colonial America blended the traditions of the French and Prussian armiesalong with the British traditions into a unique American institution. Thisprocess of selective modeling became apparent when the colonists createdmilitia forces to protect themselves, and it applied to their use ofnoncommissioned officers as well. The first fighting between the colonistsand British troops in the American Revolution involved militia units.

1-1-3. Identify the Role of the NCO During the Revolutionary War

RevolutionaryRegiments

By 1776 a typical infantry regiment had a regimental staff and eightcompanies. The staff consisted of:

• Three field officers.• Six staff officers.• Four staff NCOs.

- A sergeant major- A quartermaster sergeant- Two lead musicians

The sergeant major served as the regiment's ranking NCO and providedadministrative assistance to the regimental adjutant. The quartermastersergeant provided logistical support to quartermasters in the field. The twosenior musicians trained the company fifers and drummers and wereresponsible for signal functions on the battlefield. When at full strength atypical infantry company consisted of ninety members. Each company had:

• Four officers.• Four sergeants.• Two musicians (a fifer and a drummer).• Eighty "rank and file" soldiers.

- Four corporals- Seventy-six privates.

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1-1-3. Identify the Role of the NCO During the Revolutionary War,cont

RevolutionaryRegiments,continued

Rank and file refers to those men who stood in the line of battle, (ranksparallel to the line, files perpendicular) carrying muskets. The fifer anddrummer, (classified as NCOs) were in charge of battlefieldcommunications.

Each infantry company, for administrative purposes, contained four squads.These men formed into two ranks of ten files each, with the corporal servingas the file closer in the rear of the formation and the sergeant performing thesame function on the flank.

In 1778 a Prussian volunteer, Baron Frederick William Von Steuben, arrivedat General George Washington's camp at Valley Forge. Steuben possessedconsiderable military skills. Published at Washington's direction, Steuben'sRegulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States(1779), established the principle that the company commander select theNCOs and they be responsible to the company commander, subject to theapproval of the battalion or regimental commander. Due to this process, itwas not until World War II that an NCO could transfer from the regimentthat had accepted his enlistment to another and retain his grade.

Popularly known as the Blue Book, because of the color of the first edition,this manual covered all aspects of infantry service. It stressed NCOresponsibilities for the care, discipline, and training of the men, both ingarrison and in the field. These were areas that Steuben had found weak inthe Continental Army. The book also directed the company's senior, or firstsergeant to keep a Company Descriptive Book. This book listed the name,age, height, place of birth, and prior occupation of every enlisted man in theunit. The Blue Book introduced a new emphasis on the NCO's battlefieldrole that enhanced his status and further distinguished him from his Britishcounterpart.

1-1-4. Identify the Role of the NCO During the War of 1812

War of 1812 During the War of 1812, the need for the Army's discipline to equal itsEuropean rivals became apparent. The NCOs played a key role in thevigorous training required to turn civilians into soldiers capable ofmaintaining the linear formations and volley fire tactics typical of warfare inthat period. In 1815, Brigadier General Winfield Scott published his Rulesand Regulations for the Field Exercise and Maneuvers of Infantry--later

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1-1-4. Identify the Role of the NCO During the War of 1812, cont

War of 1812,continued

revised at the direction of Secretary of War John C. Calhoun)--whichreplaced Steuben's earlier regulations. Scott's book put particular stress onthe importance of swift movement from the column of march to linearformation on the battlefield. In executing this maneuver, the color guard, ledby the color sergeant, played the key role in maintaining the properalignment and cadence that enabled the men to hold their ranks.

The color sergeant, with his guard of from five to eight corporals, became thefocal point on which the men dressed, wheeled, and advanced into battle.The emergence of the color sergeant, who replaced the commissioned ensignin carrying the flag, clearly and significantly enhanced the NCO's role incombat.

1-1-5. Identify the Role of the NCO During the Civil War

Civil War The Civil War marked a radical change in American warfare. It brought inthe total war concept. During this war, NCOs led the skirmishers thatpreceded and followed each major unit. NCOs carried the flags andregimental colors of their units. To serve as the color bearers--the majortarget of every enemy marksman--was a badge of special bravery in thenineteenth century Army.

During the Civil War both regular and volunteer full-strength regimentsconsisted of ten companies, although volunteer units varied considerably inother respects from state to state. The regular regimental NCO staffconsisted of:

• A sergeant major.• A quartermaster sergeant.• A commissary sergeant.• A hospital steward.• Two musicians

Major General Silas Casey foresaw the heavy battlefield losses and publisheda third manual, U.S. Army Infantry Tactics for the Instructions, Exercises,and Maneuvers of the Soldier, a Company, a Line of Skirmishers, Battalion,Brigade, or Corps D' Armee. His book soon superseded the earlier booksalthough they prescribed a similar role for the NCO. Casey's manualenvisioned situations in which senior sergeants would have to take command

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1-1-5. Identify the Role of the NCO During the Civil War, cont

Civil War,continued

of units on the spot when all officers became casualties. He insisted that allNCOs receive training in giving commands, based on the fact, that the linearformations in use were designed for men carrying smoothbore muskets.

With soldiers now armed with rifled muskets, which had much greateraccuracy, casualties were certain to be horrendous unless tactics changed.The gradual elimination of linear tactics after the Civil War redefined theNCO's combat leadership role.

1-1-6. Identify the Role of the NCO During World War I

World War I World War I provided many opportunities for NCOs to prove their skillsboth as technicians and as leaders on the modern battlefield. As the wardragged on, the Army discovered that allowing able-bodied NCOs to step inand replace the fallen junior officers solved the problem of heavy lossesamong officers. At the same time, technical units proliferated, as moreNCOs demonstrated their skills. When the first American divisions arrivedin France, some French and British officers noted with distaste that AmericanNCOs seemed to exercise little authority over their men. The Frenchconcluded the reason for this was because of the American practice ofthrowing all the ranks together in garrison.

From such comments, many Americans came to realize the relatively lowstatus of the U.S. NCOs compared to those in other armies. General John J.("Black Jack") Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces,recommended upgrading NCO leadership training at once, and providedNCOs with separate mess facilities. The Army implemented hisrecommendations within a month. During the last months of the war, strongperformances by hundreds of NCOs demonstrated the success of theprogram. General Pershing summed up his view on the importance of NCOsas small unit leaders in a message to Major General Duncan, CommandingGeneral of the 82d Division; the message read:

NCOs must love initiative and hold whatground they gained to the utmost. It oftenhappens that a sergeant or even a corporalmay decide a battle by the boldness withwhich he seizes a bit of ground and holds it.

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1-1-6. Identify the Role of the NCO During World War I, cont

World War I,continued

The most important tactical lessons to emerge from the battles on theWestern Front were the significance of small unit actions and avoiding massformations. Small fire teams of infantrymen, usually led by NCOs, learned totake advantage of mist along riverbanks and every fold of ground, whileproviding covering fire for other groups nearby. As weapons and tacticscontinued to evolve in twentieth century warfare, the role of the NCO wouldcontinue to grow.

1-1-7, Identify the Role of the NCO During World War II

World War II World War II made more demands on NCOs and had a greater impact uponthe NCO's role and status than any previous conflict in American history.

The great mobilization not only increased the numbers of NCOs, it also ledto inflation in the grade structure. As the eight-man infantry squad increasedto twelve, the squad leader became a sergeant. The corporal, once the squadleader, became a second in command and a fire-team leader. By the end ofthe war, 23,328 infantry squads in 288 active infantry regiments had twoNCOs instead of one. Along with the need for more small unit leaders, theArmy required thousands of new technical specialists to handle thesophisticated weaponry of the war. The main problem with proliferation oftechnicians/specialist was that it became so great, it overwhelmed most units.Because these specialists received NCO status, a typical rifle company soonhad only one private first class and seventeen privates. Everyone else was anNCO. This placed the burden of work details and guard duty on a shrinkingnumber of soldiers.

In late 1943, the Army decided that technicians/specialists appointed after 1December 1943 would share the duties of privates, while wearing the letter Tunder their NCO chevrons and drawing the pay of enlisted grades 3, 4, 5.Thus the "techs" came into existence, the target of some joking at the time,but an absolute essential element in the winning of the war.

1-1-8. Identify the Role of the NCO During the Korean Conflict

Korean Conflict During the late 1940s practical training suffered neglect, although the onsetof the Cold War in 1947-1948 should have warned all soldiers--in fact, all

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1-1-8. Identify the Role of the NCO During the Korean Conflict, cont

KoreanConflict,continued

Americans--that the price of freedom was as high as ever. The neglectbecame fully apparent in 1950, when war broke out in Korea.

In the first few months after the desperate fighting broke out, instances ofpoor combat leadership and discipline often led to panic in battle. Veteransof earlier wars, who had not forgotten what they learned, stood out during theshock of battle and the confusion of retreat. As survivors toughened and theArmy brought in rigorous training once again, NCOs began to demonstrate arenewed spirit and their leadership skills, never more important, began toreemerge.

Much of the fighting took the form of small unit combat actions, and as inearlier wars, capable NCOs took command when officers became casualties.

Combat studies of the Korean Conflict show that NCOs participatedsignificantly in every outstanding performance by an infantry company.Korean Conflict NCOs became recognized as leaders in battle even more sothan in previous wars.

No doubt some of you have heard the phrase "No More Task Force Smiths"which refers to a task force sent into combat in Korea that was ill equipped,lacked experience, and whose soldiers and cadre were poorly trained. Theypaid the ultimate price. Of the 406 Task Force Smith soldiers who startedthe battle, only 185 were mustered a week later after reaching friendly lines.You must be a part of never allowing this to happen again.

1-1-9, Identify the Role of the NCO During the Vietnam Conflict

VietnamConflict

When America went to war again, it was in another poor and divided nationof the Third World. The nature of the Vietnam Conflict would differconsiderably from the fighting in Korea. Once again the NCO would fill thetraditional roles of skilled trainer and small unit leader.

The first American forces arrived in the Republic of Vietnam as militaryadvisers to a non-Communist government under siege by both domesticinsurgents and infiltrators from North Vietnam across the so-calledDemilitarized Zone (DMZ). Beginning in 1965, the American commitmentin Southeast Asia began to change as American soldiers took on a major

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1-1-9, Identify the Role of the NCO During the Vietnam Conflict, cont

VietnamConflict,continued

combat role. The character of the war became apparent, more so than in anymilitary involvement in American history. Battlefield success in Vietnamdepended on effective small unit leadership. Vietnam would be the war ofthe platoon sergeant, squad, patrol, and fire-team leader. The NCO role inVietnam would be much more pervasive, reflecting the enemy's ownincreasing emphasis on small unit tactics and the diversity of the terrain.NCOs demonstrated their competence, judgment, and fighting skills inisolated actions ranging from rice paddies to deep jungles. Their success inoften forgotten day-to-day engagements proved critical to the total Americanmilitary effort.

U.S. Army commanders in Vietnam knew that a favorite communist tacticwas to infiltrate troops into a particular area until they outnumbered the RVNdefenders. They would then strike, overwhelming the government forcesbefore reinforcements could arrive, and fade back into the peasantpopulation. The Americans hoped to counter this tactic by making themaximum use of airmobility--moving troops quickly by helicopter. If therewas one item of military equipment that symbolized American warfighting inVietnam, it was the helicopter.

For thousands of NCOs the war brought on an identity crisis. Because of achronic shortage of experienced NCOs, company grade officers got used todealing directly with the men. This resulted in bypassing those NCOs whowere available, and their proper role as small unit leaders eroded. Themorale of the NCO declined at the very time the nature of the tacticsemployed by the Vietnamese required the NCO small unit tactics more thanever before.

Combat operations were often intense and resulted in large numbers of killedand wounded. Combat casualties, taken together with noncombat losses, andthe one-year rotation system, soon stretched the Army in Vietnam thin at themid-level NCO grades. This allowed promotions to come much sooner thanpreviously. The Army came to depend heavily on the "shake and bake"NCOs produced as a hasty wartime expedient to fill the voids in the NCOranks.

As the American forces withdrew from Vietnam, the Army Chief of Staffrecognized that raising the esteem of the NCO Corps was the first criticalstep toward rebuilding the Army. The President and Congress ended the

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1-1-9, Identify the Role of the NCO During the Vietnam Conflict, cont

VietnamConflict,continued

selective service draft and began to build a truly professional ModernVolunteer Army (MVA). This Army would build upon the most modernprinciples of personnel management, leadership, motivation, and training.

After two hundred years of NCO evolution and development as trainers,technical specialists, and small unit leaders, the Army prepared to fullyrecognize, encourage, and reward NCO professionalism.

1-1-10, Identify the Role of the NCO as it Exists Today

NCO EducationSystem

In 1947, an NCO Academy opened in occupied Germany. This one-monthcourse emphasized leadership skills, such as map reading and methods ofsmall unit training. This would be the prelude to the NoncommissionedOfficer Education System (NCOES).

Although NCOES improved the competence of the NCO Corps, it did notprovide clear patterns of career development and promotion potential. In1975, the Army introduced the Enlisted Personnel Management System(EPMS) to regulate career development. It expanded professionalopportunities and eliminated dead-end career fields. It grouped relatedspecialties that opened career paths for all enlisted soldiers while requiringthem to remain eligible for promotion. They did this by demonstrating theirabilities at required levels through the Skill Qualification Test (SQT) and theSelf-Development Test (SDT). The Army does not use these tests any more.

Another professional development system, the Noncommissioned OfficerDevelopment Program (NCODP), relating to career management, evolved in1980. This system consisted of formal NCO leadership training andconcentrated on "doing" rather than "testing" experience. NCODP enabledNCOs to apply the training and skills learned in NCOES in their units. Sincethese inceptions, the status of NCOs as professionals has become abundantlyclear to officers and soldiers.

In 1986 the Primary Leadership Development Course became the first coursein the NCOES system to actually become a mandatory prerequisite forpromotion to the next higher grade.

The goal of the NCOES and NCO training is to prepare NCOs to lead andtrain soldiers who work and fight under their supervision and assist their

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1-1-10, Identify the Role of the NCO as it Exists Today, cont

NCO EducationSystem,continued

leaders to execute unit missions. The NCOES provides NCOs withprogressive and sequential leader, technical, and tactical training relevant tothe duties, responsibilities, and mission they will perform in operational unitsafter graduation. Training builds on existing skills, knowledge, attitudes, andexperiences. The NCOES includes the following mandatory training forsoldiers selected for promotion:

• Primary Leadership Development Course (PLDC): Providesbasic, branch immaterial leadership training for soldiers selectedfor promotion to Sergeant.

• Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course (BNCOC): Providesskill level three training and basic branch specific squad leveltraining for soldiers selected for promotion to Staff Sergeant.

• Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course (ANCOC):Provides skill level four training and basic branch specific platoonlevel training for soldiers selected for promotion to Sergeant FirstClass.

• Sergeants Major Course (SMC): Provides branch immaterial,task-based, performance oriented, scenario-driven instruction, thatincludes instruction in leadership, combat operations, andsustainment operations for soldiers selected for promotion toSergeant Major.

NCOES also has three functional courses providing instruction in three vitalareas where NCOs play key roles. The courses are:

• Battle Staff Noncommissioned Officer Course (BSNCOC):Provides advanced, branch immaterial, staff training for StaffSergeants through Sergeants Majors selected for staffassignments.

• First Sergeant Course (FSC): Provides branch immaterialtraining to prepare selected soldiers for their initial assignment asFirst Sergeants.

• Command Sergeants Major Course (CSMC): Providesbranch immaterial training for CSM designees.

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1-1-10, Identify the Role of the NCO as it Exists Today, cont

Current RankStructure

Now let’s take a look (fig 1-1-1) at the current six levels of the NCO rankstructure within the Army, from the Sergeant Major of the Army (E-9) toCorporal E-4.

StaffStaffSergeantSergeant

E-6E-6

CorporalCorporalE-4E-4

SergeantSergeantMajor ofMajor ofthe Armythe Army

E-9E-9

CommandCommandSergeantSergeant

MajorMajorE-9E-9

FirstFirstSergeantSergeant

E-8E-8

SergeantSergeantMajorMajor

E-9E-9MasterMaster

SergeantSergeantE-8E-8

SergeantSergeantFirst ClassFirst Class

E-7E-7

SergeantSergeantE-5E-5

CURRENT NCO RANK STRUCTURE

P205P205/MAR 00/VA-14

Figure 1-1-1, Current NCO Rank Structure.

• Sergeant Major, E-9:

- Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA): This is the senior sergeantmajor rank, and senior NCO position in the Army. The SMA servesas the senior enlisted advisor and consultant to the Chief of Staff ofthe Army.

- Command Sergeant Major (CSM): CSMs are the Senior NCOs atthe battalion and higher-level headquarters. They carry out policiesand enforce standards related to enlisted personnel performance,training, appearance, and conduct. They also advise and makerecommendations to the commander and staff on matters pertainingto enlisted personnel. CSMs direct the activities of the NCO supportchannel and administer the NCODP.

- Sergeant Major (SGM): SGMs are generally the key enlistedmember of staff elements at levels higher than battalion. Thesergeant major's experience and ability equal that of the commandsergeant major, but leadership responsibility remains generallylimited to those directly under his supervision.

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1-1-10, Identify the Role of the NCO as it Exists Today, cont

Current RankStructure,continued

• First Sergeant (1SG, E-8)/Master Sergeant (MSG, E-8):

1SG: This position is similar to that of the CSM in importance,responsibility, and prestige. The senior NCO in companies, batteries,and troops who maintains daily contact with soldiers. The 1SG isresponsible for the training, health and welfare of all the soldiers andtheir families.MSG: Usually serves as the principal NCO in staff elements atbattalion and higher. The Army expects the MSG to dispatch leadershipand other duties with the same professionalism and to achieve the sameresults as the first sergeant.

• Sergeant First Class (SFC, E-7): Serves at the platoon level orequivalent and is also a key position in the command structure of theArmy. When the platoon leader is present, the SFC is the primaryassistant and advisor. In the absence of the platoon leader, the SFC takescharge of the platoon. SFCs teach collective and individual tasks tosoldiers in their organic squads, crews, or equivalent small units. This isthe first level at which the term senior NCO applies.

• Staff Sergeant (SSG, E-6), Sergeant (SGT, E-5), and Corporal (CPL,E-4): They are normally section, squad, and team leaders and are acritical link in the NCO Support Channel. These NCOs are responsiblefor their soldiers' health, welfare, and safety on a daily basis. Theyensure their soldiers meet standards in personal appearance, and teachthem to maintain and account for their individual and unit equipment andproperty. They enforce standards, develop leadership skills, and trainsoldiers daily in their Military Occupational Specialties, skills, and unitmissions.

1-1-11, Lesson Review

Review As you can see from what you've read, the role of the NCO has continued toevolve from the pre-Revolutionary period to their role, as it exists today.NCOs continue to carry out their historical functions as:

• Small unit leaders.• Trainers.• Guardians of standards.

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1-1-11. Lesson Review, cont

What you have learned in your readings concerning the evolution of theNCO Corps is but the tip of the iceberg. There are volumes upon volumes ofheroic actions and exemplary leadership demonstrated by NCOs available foryou to review.

Take it upon yourself to attain and maintain the highest of military standardsand be that part of the "Backbone" of the Army. In so doing, you willbecome a part of the legacy that those before you have built.

You are part of an historical Corps.

Lets review and see what some of those small unit leader operations havebeen in the past and will continue to be in the future. Small unit leaderoperations include:

• Combat defensive• Combat offensive• Foreign internal defense• Missile defense• Rescue• Civil affairs• Logistical

• Peacekeeping• Humanitarian• Security• Observation• Drug interdiction• Disaster relief• Evacuation• Environmental

As the NCOES continues to grow, as an NCO of today, you must combinehistory and tradition with your skills and abilities to prepare for combat. Youretain the duties and responsibilities given to you by your predecessors, andthese you must build upon to train the soldiers of tomorrow.

The Army can never be caught unprepared for an armed conflict at any time-anywhere in the world. Timely, effective, realistic, and relevant training isthe key element that ensures this will never happen! There must never beanother Task Force Smith!

Let no soldier's soul cry out

“Had I the Training”

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1-1-12. Check Your Learning

Directions This is a self-graded exercise. Circle the letter of the correct response or fillin the blank with the correct response. Upon completion, compare yourresponses to the correct responses in the answer key and feedback sheet.

Question 1 Colonial America blended the tradition of the _____, ______, and ______Armies into a unique American institution.

Question 2 Who wrote the "Blue Book" concerning the "Regulations for the Order andDiscipline of the Troops of the United States (1779)?

Question 3 Who wrote the "Rules and Regulations for the Field Exercise and maneuversof Infantry?

Question 4 What did MG Silas Casey's manual, "U.S. Army Infantry Tactics for theInstructions, Exercises, and Maneuvers of the Soldier, a Company, a Line ofSkirmishers, Battalion, Brigade, or Corps D' Armee" envision for the seniorNCO?

Question 5 How did the Army, during World War I, solve the problem of filling thecombat losses of junior officers?

Question 6 What was the main cause for the inflation in grade structure during WWII?

Question 7 What did combat studies of the Korean Conflict show about NCOparticipation?

Question 8 What was the primary role of the first American forces in Vietnam?

Question 9 What kind of leadership did success on the battlefield in Vietnam depend on?

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1-1-12. Check Your Learning, cont

Question 10 What were the three causes that stretched the Army in Vietnam thin at themid-level NCO grades, that led to the "Shake and Bake" NCO?

Question 11 What program did the Army introduce in 1980 that concentrated on "doing"rather than "testing" and enabled NCOs to apply the training and skillslearned in NCOES in their units?

Question 12 What is the goal of NCOES and NCO training?

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1-1-13. Answer Key and Feedback

Question 1 Correct response is: French, Prussian, and British, Ref: page 1-1-4, para 1-1-2.

Question 2 Correct response is: Baron Frederick William Von Steuben, Ref: page 1-1-5, para 1-1-3.

Question 3 Correct response is: Brigadier General Winfield Scott, Ref: page 1-1-5, para1-1-4.

Question 4 Correct response is: Situations in which senior sergeants would have to takecommand of units on the spot when all officer became casualties, Ref: pages1-1-6 thru 1-1-7, para 1-1-5.

Question 5 Correct response is: Allowing able-bodied NCOs to step in and replace thefallen officers, Ref: page 1-1-7, para 1-1-6.

Question 6 Correct response is: The introduction of the "technical specialist," Ref: page1-1-8, para 1-1-7.

Question 7 Correct response is: NCOs participated significantly in every outstandingperformance by an infantry company, Ref: page 1-1-9, para 1-1-8.

Question 8 Correct response is: Military advisers, Ref: page 1-1-9, para 1-1-9.

Question 9 Correct response is: Effective small unit leadership, page 1-1-10, para 1-1-9.

Question 10 Correct response is: 1. Combat Killed and Wounded, 2, Noncombat Losses,and 3. the one year rotation system, Ref: page 1-1-10, para 1-1-9.

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1-1-13 . Answer Key and Feedback, cont

Question 11 Correct response is: NCO Development Program (NCODP). Ref: pages 1-1-11, para 1-1-10.

Question 12 Correct response is: To prepare NCOs to lead and train soldiers who workand fight under their supervision and assist their leaders to execute the unit'smission, Ref: pages 1-1-11 thru 1-1-12, para 1-1-10.